Single-molecule conductance measurement of self-assembled organic monolayers using scanning tunneling spectroscopy in combination with statistics analysis

Based on ambient atmosphere scanning tunneling microscope (STM) technique, scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) combined with statistics analysis was developed to investigate the single-molecule conductance of various kinds of molecules which were self-assembled on the Au (1 1 1). Conductance histograms obtained from current–voltage curves revealed well-defined peaks at integer multiples of a fundamental conductance and were used to identify the conductance of a single molecule. The conductances of saturated molecules like 1,8-octanedithol and hexanethiocyanate were found to be 0.072 × 10−4G0 and 0.06 × 10−4G0 respectively and 0.23 × 10−4G0 and 0.13 × 10−4G0 for unsaturated molecules like 5,5′-dithiol- 2,2′,5′,2″-terthiophene and 4,4′-dithio-tert(phenylene ethylene).